Al Jazeera has cast the Haqqani network in a relatively positive light, referring to it as an “armed group” aligned with the Taliban.“Haqqani Group Blamed for Suicide Blast,” Al Jazeera, November 24, 2014, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/southasia/2014/11/haqqani-group-blamed-afghan-suicide-blast-20141124102431935437.html. In its coverage of the Haqqani network, Al Jazeera has generally refrained from describing it as a “terrorist” organization, despite its long-established record of targeting civilians. Al Jazeera has been one of the few media outlets to obtain an interview with Sirajuddin Haqqani, the group’s operational commander.“Taliban Commander Speaks Out,” Al Jazeera, June 27, 2010, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2010/01/2010119181112836158.html.

Al Jazeera’s coverage of the faltering peace process between the United States and the Taliban has been more suspicious than its Western counterparts of the role played by the Afghan government. In 2013, when the Afghan-Taliban peace talks collapsed, Al Jazeera attributed this failure to the objection of the Afghan government “to fanfare surrounding the opening of a Taliban office” in Qatar.“Pakistan officials say Afghan Taliban has signaled peace talk readiness,” Al Jazeera, February 19, 2015, http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/2/19/pakistan-officials-say-afghan-taliban-has-signaled-peace-talk-readiness.html.